"All right, I won't hide it from you," Dylan said.
He reached for his cigarette case out of habit. Before his fingers could graze the metal, Elena pinned his hand down. "Smoking is bad for your health."
Dylan relented and tossed the case straight into the trash can. "Fine. I'll listen to you."
He then recounted his recent trip abroad. "George and I uncovered quite a few things overseas. Some of it genuinely shocked me. My brother isn't as simple as he seems."
"Patrick?"
"Yeah. I always thought he was just a naive guy who liked to have fun. But this time, I found out he owns a sizable company abroad, along with his own network of influence. I never suspected it before. Ever since I came back crippled, I've been overly sensitive and guarded around people. I started feeling like Patrick was hiding something. Now it seems he's far more capable than I imagined. Dad never let him interfere with the corporate affairs, and he always refused to get involved. I thought he didn't know how to run a business, but I clearly underestimated him."
Elena connected the dots. "Are you saying he was behind the accident that crippled your legs years ago?"
Dylan immediately shook his head. "No, it shouldn't be him. We were kidnapped together. I still remember that day vividly. His terror wasn't an act. Judging by his reactions, he wasn't faking it."
He paused. "But when Lucas kidnapped you at the warehouse, I was intercepted on my way to save you. Those men didn't belong to Lucas. I suspect they worked for Viper. Their target wasn't just you; it was me, too. The way they operated felt exactly like the crew who ruined my legs years ago. I had George dig into it. We followed the trail, and while we don't have hard proof, we found some clues."
He looked at her seriously. "I suspect Ethan is involved. That night, he was trying to get rid of me!"

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